Volatiles

About

Volatiles or 'H2' is a combustible gas in the presence of Oxygen and the breathing gas of the Zrilian species. The main source of Volatiles on most planets is in the form of Ice (Volatiles) that can be mined on the surface. Volatiles will autoignite at 300 Celcius or above in the presence of Oxygen, and autoignite at 50 Celcius or above in the presence of Nitrous Oxide.

Composition

Denoted with the name Volatile, it is a homogenous compound made up of Hydrogen, Chlorine and Hydrocarbons. This means that it is poisonous due to the Chlorine, but also combustible due to the Hydrogen and Methane portions and can be turned into Water with Oxygen in a H2 Combustor that has a self-contained catalyst which helps free the Hydrogen atoms.

Possible compound: CH₃Cl (Chloromethane)

In-Game Description

Volatiles are an extremely reactive, complex organic molecule, which can be used in conjunction with Oxygen as a combustible fuel. It is refined from Ice (Volatiles).

Due to obscure and largely forgotten ODA regulations, volatiles are sometimes labelled 'H2' by various items of technology. however, though they are similar to Hydrogen, they're not 'actually' Hydrogen. Volatiles will not produce water when produced without a catalyst (See the H2 Combustor). Alone, they create pollutants and Carbon Dioxide when burned in the following ratio:

Usage

Different ratios of Volatiles and Oxygen will produce different temperatures and pressures during combustion. Combustion will create a large amount of Heat, pressure, and Carbon Dioxide. This reaction is useful inside a Furnace for smelting ores and creating alloys, but can be catastrophic when inside a Canister or a room. Currently as of version v0.1.1089.5513, it is labeled in the atmospheric analyzer as H₂, but it is not Hydrogen.. When burned, it produces heat, Pollutants, and Carbon Dioxide in the following reaction:

2 Volatiles + 1 O₂ → 3 X + 6 CO₂ + 2×286000 joules

1 Volatiles + 1 N₂O → 2 N₂ + 2 CO₂ + 572000 joules

This reaction is inconsistent with volatiles being simple hydrocarbons (too much CO₂ is produced), but it may be consistent with more complex organic molecules. The reaction appears to only take place with specific quantities of gas, so Oxygen is often left over even when there is an excess of volatiles.

If a combusting gas mix contains Volatiles, NOS, and O2, it will burn in a ratio of 1O₂:1N₂O:3Vol

Volatiles have a specific heat of 20.4 Joule / mol.

Notes

• The Specific heat of 20 g/mol is in-between the specific heat of Hydrogen and Methane.
• The actual Autoignition temperature of Chloromethane in Oxygen is 625 °C (1,157 °F; 898 K), the game grossly underestimated the iginition temperature by about 11 times.

Sources

You can collect Hydrogen from the following sources:

Source	Amount
Ice (Volatiles)	22 mol

Can be also obtainable by trading.

Notes

• Seems that a concentration of H2 greater than 6% in an atmosphere it is lethal to plants, keep attention on that designing a greenhouse, because Advanced Composter will release H2 during the process.